Rotary engine.



PATENTBD MAR. 24, 1908.

Nog 882,884.

J. RHOPPER. ROTARYK'ENGINE. AP'PLxoATIx rlLnn MAY 21, x90?.

Gwi t" @ma rut Nonni: Pin-ns co., wlumNaroN. n. c.

lTAMES F. HOPPER, OF SHERMAN, TEXAS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented March 24, 1908.

Application filed May 27, 1907. Serial. No. 375,996.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. HOPPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sherman, in the county of Grayson and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful lm rovements in Rotary Engines, of which the ollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to steam-engines of that class known as rotary, and the object of the invention is to rovide a simple and efficient apparatus of) this character wherein all of the steam supplied thereto is employed to its best advantage and in which the steam and exhaust can be properly controlled, enabling the piston to be driven in opposite directions with equal facility.

The rotary engine herein illustrated consists of a cylinder or casing, a rotatable drum within said cylinder provided with pistons adapting it for rotation in opposite directions therein, said drum being eccentric to the axis of said cylinder and adapted to contact the cylinder at one point thereof, an abutment valve, a jacket for incasing said abutment, a steam chamber provided with valves and a suitable revolving disk for the purpose of regulating the supply of steam through the valves to the pistons, and these parts may be constructed of any suitable material.

As a means for obtaining a close union or contact between the abutment valve and drum wheel and also between the pistons and inner wall of the piston cylinder or casing, strong springs acting against the said abutment and each of the pistons are provided.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novel combination of elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described -and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, the preferred construction thereof is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of a rotary steam engine constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 is a front view of the disk valve. Fig. 5 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 6 is a front view of a disk pro` vided with valves and steam ports. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of the same, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the pistons.

Like characters denote like parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings the cylinder or case is denoted by A, and it has a widened base 4, adapted to rest upon and to be secured to a floor or foundation. B B are heads secured to the cylinder in the usual manner. Between the head B and cylinder is placed a disk C, hereinafter more particularly described. The drum D 'lits closely between l this disk and head B as indicated clearly in Fig. l. The drum D carries the shaft 3 proj ecting centrally therethrough and supported for rotation in properly packed ljournalopenings 4 4 formed, respectively, on the cylinder heads B and B, said shaft carrying a pulley or other power transmitting device, (not shown.)

The cylinder or case A is provided upon the upper side thereof with the abutment valve case E communicating with the interior of the cylinder and in which is located the abutment valve F which is held in contact with the drum wheel by springs G acting against the same.

The shaft 3 passes through the heads B B at some distance above their centers throwing the drum D mounted thereon eccentric to the axis of cylinder A adapting the drum to contact the cylinder only at the upper part thereof. The drum being of smaller diameter than the cylinder a gradually widening chamber is thus formed into which the steam from the supply pipes 5 can pass for the purpose of striking the pistons 6 to rotate the drum. Said pistons in the present case slide freely in slots 7 formed in the drum and project radially from the periphery of same. The outer faces of which are in proXimit to the cylinder thereby to secure a close joint between the parts, and for retaining them movable in that position coiled springs 8 are provided as shown in Figs. l and 2.

The pistons 6 are preferably made with one half of each overlapping the other, with a strong flat spring 9 between the parts, adapting their outer faces to be thrown into en gagement with the inner side surfaces of the cylinder, thereby to secure a close joint between them.

The abutment or valve consists of a plate F and has a vertical movement within the case or chamber E for the purpose of crossing the path. of the pistons 6. The two steam conveying pipes 5 connect with the cylinder at opposite sides of the abutment and each of these pipes is provided with a lever valve designated respectively by 10 and 11, located adjacent to the disk C; they are connected by a hand lever 1 in such a manner that when this lever is operated and one of the valves is opened the other will be closed.

J J are exhaust ports and to each is attached a lever valve K K connected and operated in a manner similar to the valves 10 and 11, by the lever L, the outlet passages of these valves are connected by a pipe M from which projects laterallyT to the outside of cylinder a pipe O, connecting with the exhaust pipe O for conducting the exhaust steam outside the building.

One face of the disk C forms a side wall for the steam cylinder and within its other face are fitted slide valves ay and b preferably at an angle as shown, and they may be connected through rods c and d to a governor, (not shown). Beneath. the valves are steam ports e and f that connect through ports q and h with the valves 10 and 11. T he face of the disk valve P revolves against the valved face of the disk C covering the valves a and b and ports e and f except when one of the slots P in the disk valve is passing over the said ports; when doing this, the chamber 12 being full of steam supplied by the pipe 13, steam is admitted through the ports and valve 10 or 11 to the steam cylinder'.

ln Fig. 2 t-he piston 6 is shown as being adjacent to and to the right of the abutment F, and the exhaust valve K being closed, while the exhaust valve .K is open, when steam is admitted into the steam chamber 12 through the supply pipe 13 leading thereinto, such steam will pass through the ports f and h and valve 11 thence into the cylinder where it will strike the piston 6 and consequently moving the piston and rotating the drum D which carries the same, the direction of steam and of rotation of the drum being indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. When the piston in its revolution has passed a point beyond the exhaust port J, the valve K of which is open, the exhaust will pass into the pipe M and from thence to the exhaust pipe O. To secure the reverse operation, the exhaust valve K will be opened and K closed, the steam valve 11 closed and 10 opened thus admitting steam at the opposite side of the abutment F driving the piston 6 in an opposite direction.

The disk valve P fits the shaft 3 loosely and is made to revolve with the shaft by the pin i which is solid in the shaft but movably fitted in a recess y' formed in the hub k, this recess radiates from the shaft considerably wider than the diameter of the pin i for the purpose of allowing the piston 6 to move past the abutment F the proper distance in either direction before steam is admitted From the foregoing description it will be evident that the apparatus is simple in construction, that the piston drum can be operated equally well in opposite directions, and that the exhaust and supply of steam can be properly controlled without the loss of any steam. y

Changes in the form, proportion, size, and the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what 1 claim as new and desire to secure ,by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a rotary engine, the combination with a cylinder, of a drum therein provided with pistons, a disk forming one head oT the cylinder, said disk provided with two vertically disposed sliding valves covering ports in the disk, each valve having a stem extending upwardly by which it is actuated, a revolving disk provided with slots ior admitting steam through the valves to the cylinder, and exhaust passages substantially as described.

2. A rotary engine comprising a cylinder, a drum mounted therein and provided with pistons, a disk forming one head of the cylinder and having ports therein, sliding valves covering the ports in the disk, operating stems extending upward from the valves, a slotted rotatable disk for admitting steam from the valves to the cylinder, and exhaust passages leading from the cylinder.

1n testimony whereof 1 aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- JAMES F. HOPPER. Titnessesz J. P. GEREN, Tiros. P. HOPPER. 

